Current Homework Practice: Currently I give math homework on a nightly basis. Usually the homework is practice of the skill taught in class that day. I usually assign between 15-30 problems (depending on how involved the problems are) to be completed daily. The homework is usually corrected as a whole group activity or students correct it individually. I usually check to see how many errors students make & what kind of errors they make. From that I reteach. If students do not do their homework I initial their assignment book & keep a list in a notebook. If students complete the missed homework assignment by the next day, I cross their names off the list & they suffer no penalty. If students do not complete the missed homework assignment they will have to stay in during a study/org reward period to complete the assignment. Any assignments not crossed off until the end of the marking period will cause 1 point for every 2 missed homework assignments to be deducted off of a student's average for the marking period.
I have not changed my homework policy much. I understand & agree with the different opinions about giving less or no homework, but in math I feel that it is very difficult to not give homework because students need to practice the skills taught in class. There is not enough time in a class period until you give warm-up activities & teach a lesson, so the only time to practice is at home for homework or during a study hall. I do feel that I am giving a little less homework than before or that somedays (if I give a longer assignment) I just allow the students to work on homework during class or during their extra math class. This allows students time to ask questions & to clarify any misconceptions they may have prior to going home without any understanding of the concepts they are practiing for homework.
Another aspect i have changed is when i review a skill in class with the whiteboards I actually use problems from the upcoming homework & after the class has completed the problem I allow the students to write down the answer on their homework papers. This cuts down on the number of problems a student will be required to do at home for homework. Without doing homework, students would not know whether or not they understand the skills taught in order to pass a test/quiz.
With my struggling students, I tried to review in class & at the same time help them with their homework, so instead of just giving random problems for practice in class, I acutally gave them problems from their homework. I had each student do the problems on individual whiteboards & when they got the answer correct, I had them write the answers in their workbooks. By doing this, I was able to practice in class with the students, check for understanding, troubleshoot their problems; while at the same time help with their homework & lessen the amount of homework they had to do.
I would like some discussion time or wikispace discussion to get some input on the questions below. Questions:
Why don't some students do homework?
How do you make students understand the importance of homework?
In math, what would happen if you didn't assign homework? When would students practice the skills being taught in class without taking classtime?
Research says to make the homework relevant to a student's life, personalize the homework, make it thought-prevoking or creative; but students who don't do homework won't do any homework. Now what?
I have not changed my homework policy much. I understand & agree with the different opinions about giving less or no homework, but in math I feel that it is very difficult to not give homework because students need to practice the skills taught in class. There is not enough time in a class period until you give warm-up activities & teach a lesson, so the only time to practice is at home for homework or during a study hall. I do feel that I am giving a little less homework than before or that somedays (if I give a longer assignment) I just allow the students to work on homework during class or during their extra math class. This allows students time to ask questions & to clarify any misconceptions they may have prior to going home without any understanding of the concepts they are practiing for homework.
Another aspect i have changed is when i review a skill in class with the whiteboards I actually use problems from the upcoming homework & after the class has completed the problem I allow the students to write down the answer on their homework papers. This cuts down on the number of problems a student will be required to do at home for homework. Without doing homework, students would not know whether or not they understand the skills taught in order to pass a test/quiz.
With my struggling students, I tried to review in class & at the same time help them with their homework, so instead of just giving random problems for practice in class, I acutally gave them problems from their homework. I had each student do the problems on individual whiteboards & when they got the answer correct, I had them write the answers in their workbooks. By doing this, I was able to practice in class with the students, check for understanding, troubleshoot their problems; while at the same time help with their homework & lessen the amount of homework they had to do.
I would like some discussion time or wikispace discussion to get some input on the questions below.
Questions: